GRIT: A Spartan Riders Novel

by J.C. Valentine

  “I’m gonna fuck you so good…” Blake’s words trailed off, his gaze skating from her head down to her toes, then he shook his head before giving her his back and stalking away.

  Damn…Clutching a hand over her erratically beating heart, Gabby had to take a minute to calm herself down before picking up her phone and calling her mother.

  ***

  “…a chi…chickadee whistled in…” Blake sucked in breath. He fucking hated reading children’s stories. Or any stories. Or reading of any kind. Too bad Ash adored every minute of it. It’d become a bit of a pattern between them, though, since Jodi checked out and ran off to God knew where. Now, Blake was beholden to the bedtime ritual with no escape in sight. Which meant there was no hiding his disability from his son.

  The moment was only compounded by the fact that Gabby was standing in the doorway, watching. Her radiant smile, while normally would make him harder than granite, unnerved him.

  “It’s okay, Daddy,” Ash said, placing his hand over his. “I’m too tired for a story tonight.”

  Blake could have kissed him for the save. Still, he said, “You sure, buddy?”

  Round eyes looked up at him, and Blake felt like the biggest failure in the world. But his son understood what a struggle it was for him on an average night, so he was giving him an out that made his heart sing and shamed him to the ends of the earth.

  Blake rubbed his eyes while he struggled with his decision. Would he push forward and risk humiliating himself even more, or would he take what a six-year-old boy offered and run for the hills?

  “Well…” Ash’s hesitant voice caused Blake’s heart to sink into his stomach, and he knew instantly what he hoped for. Glancing bashfully up at Gabby, he said, “Maybe you can read to me tonight.”

  Gabby’s expression brightened and she pushed off the doorframe, but the sound of Blake’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

  “Gabby’s tired too, buddy, and she has to be at school even earlier than you,” he pointed out. “We should probably let her get some sleep so you don’t end up having to teach the class tomorrow for her.”

  That was the wrong thing to say, because Ash looked even more excited. “Really? Then you should definitely read the book.” Tearing it from Blake’s hands, he thrust the book at Gabby as she approached the side of the bed. Blake and Ash moved over, giving her room to slide in, and Blake’s reticence had him avoiding her gaze.

  “Hmm…” Gabby mused as she flipped the book over to read the cover. “The Mouse and the Motorcycle. How very…appropriate,” she said, casting Blake a teasing smile.

  He shrugged. She knew what kind of household she was in. Anything having to do with bikes and riding inevitably found its way under their roof.

  As Gabby began reading, Blake kept a watchful eye on his son while absorbing every melodic note of her voice. As he watched Ash lean into her shoulder, his little face arching up to see the pages of the book, Blake had an absurd thought. What if Gabby never left? What if this was a glimpse into their future, all of their futures? Him, Gabby, and Ash…a family.

  The vision gave him a tight feeling in his chest, and Blake stomped it down, refusing to acknowledge it any further. He might be hot for teacher, but he wasn’t in the market for another old lady. They were too much work, too much drama, too much hassle, too much complication, and he’d only just managed to scrape off the last mistake. A mistake that landed him a role as single father that was harder than any job he’d ever held.

  So, no, he didn’t need a woman coming in and upsetting the unsteady balance he’d managed to craft, especially not one who made it perfectly clear more than once that she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him and whose prejudice of him and his brethren ran deeper than Southern pride.

  Still, Gabby was a catch no matter how you sliced it. She was hardworking, sweet to his kid, sexy as hell, and nice no matter how hard she tried to play otherwise.

  Once the story was over, Blake took possession of the book and placed it back in its rightful spot on the motorcycle theme bookshelf he’d built with his brothers for Ash’s first birthday. It wasn’t a work of art, and the craftsmanship was pretty basic, but it represented everything they loved and honored, so it fit.

  Returning to the bed, Blake tucked the—again—motorcycle themed blankets around Ash and bent to kiss his forehead. “Night, buddy. Sleep tight, sweet dreams, see you in the morning.” It was something he’d said to him a thousand times since the day he was born.

  Releasing a sleepy yawn, Ash repeated the words back to him, then rolled to his side and hunkered down into his pillow. Guiding Gabby out, Blake ran his hand down the wall, striking the light switch and plunging the room into darkness before closing the door.

  “He’s such a sweetheart,” Gabby commented as she turned to let him pass. Holding his hand out, she slipped hers easily into his and allowed him to lead her down the hall.

  “He takes after his daddy.” Reaching his bedroom, Blake didn’t miss a beat as he pulled her inside and spun around. Giving her hand a forceful tug, he yanked her into his chest and cuffed the back of her head in his large hand, bringing her mouth up to accept his kiss.

  Gasping into his mouth, Blake took advantage and plunged his tongue inside, obliterating her self-control and his in one wet swipe.

  With the knowledge that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, all pretenses of resistance were thrown to the wayside. Jumping into the kiss with both feet, Gabby plastered herself to him, searing Blake with her curves. Grabbing fistfuls of his hair, she tugged on the strands hard, crushing her mouth to his, their teeth clacking together as she took over and plundered his mouth like a sex-crazed marauder.

  But he wasn’t complaining. Not a bit. Blake quite enjoyed her aggressive side. Didn’t realize she had one, so it was a nice surprise to find that she could hold her own, because he was about to unleash his inner beast and show her what it was like to get fucked good and hard by a man who knew his way around a woman.

  Without hesitation, Blake grabbed hold of her shirt and ripped it up over her head. Her tits, bound by pure white satin pushed her tits up and together, presenting a delicious sight for the eyes. With a practiced pluck of his fingers, he freed her of that bit of clothing too, baring her to his hungry eyes. Unable to resist the temptation, he bent to capture one pert, dusky nipple between his lips, drawing a sweet gasp from her lips that ratcheted his own need to a height that made him ache.

  Bending at the knee, Blake threw what was left of his self-control away and clasped the backs of her thighs, hoisting Gabby up. Her legs went around his hips as if she’d done it a hundred times before, and he turned, carrying her to the bed and dropping her down onto the mattress unceremoniously.

  The air whooshed from her lungs, her long, glossy hair splaying out across the navy bedding, and she gave him a scorching look that invited all kinds of sinful thoughts.

  Taking the hem of her yoga pants between his fingers, he dragged the springy material off, inch by agonizingly slow inch, his eyes tracking every bit of skin as it was revealed. As he exposed her, his thoughts returned to the bathroom when he’d had her bent over the sink, her naked ass pressed against his denim-covered cock and how warm and pliable she’d been in his hands.

  She was like that now, his willing victim, giving herself to him, but this time without an ounce of reservation.

  Once he had her feet free from her pants, he dropped them to the floor. His gaze catalogued every inch of exposed flesh, his mind working out where to start first. But then she took the decision right out of his hands.

  Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, Gabby held his gaze and let her knees fall open—an invitation if ever he saw one.

  And what he saw made his brain seize and his cock punch at his fly, demanding freedom.

  Her panties, a pure white lace, were damn near transparent. Skimming his tongue over his own lips, Blake responded with a single outstretched finger that traced down the center of her molten core.
“Shit, you’re soaked,” he murmured. Unable to stop himself, he curled that same finger under the elastic edge running along her inner thigh and felt the thick, silky juices coat the digit before pushing it inside. Instantly, her swollen tissues clamped down, gripping his finger like a vise.

  Eliciting a pained moan, Gabby’s hips thrust up, and he answered her unspoken plea, inserting a second finger and pushing in deep, curling up against her inner walls and hitting the spot that made her whole body vibrate and her passionate cries grow louder.

  Blake’s own body began to tremble, and the longer he teased her, the harder it became to hold back. His cock wanted inside her, to feel the snug hug of her pussy milking him. Her muscles sucked his fingers as he withdrew, and Gabby’s glassy eyes peered up at him, her mouth parted as her breath sawed in and out.

  Blake tore off his shirt, then jerked open his pants, shoving them along with his briefs down and off, rendering him completely naked before her. Gabby’s gaze danced across his body, and Blake gave her a cocky smile as he shoved her knees farther apart to make room. Climbing onto the bed, he kneeled before her open thighs and took himself in-hand, tugging his aching flesh until the head of his cock glistened.

  “Blake,” Gabby whispered, need lacing her tone. Her back arched, her nipples pointing toward the ceiling.

  Running the tip through her puffy folds, Blake teased her clit, circled her opening, spreading her juices until they were both slick with it. Pressing his shaft between her pussy lips, Blake pinched her tender flesh together, wrapping him in its heat. Then he began pumping his hips. Gabby’s hands curled into fists, her fingers flexing and kneading the fabric each time the head popped free of her tender folds. He fucked her clit in time with her moans, watching her tits bounce with each rock of his hips. The bed groaned and the mattress springs squealed their protest, and still Blake continued, harder and faster until he thought his heart might explode from his chest.

  He hadn’t even penetrated her yet, and he was on the verge of coming. But he wanted her there first, wanted to be inside her as she let loose so he could absorb every convulsion.

  Her legs started to tremble, her head craned back, and her eyes squeezed shut. Deciding to give her a little extra push, Blake folded forward, planting a hand into the mattress beside her head, and twirled a nipple with his tongue. Her hands delved into his hair, and her chest pressed up seeking more. Gabby’s sweet voice filled his ears, chanting his name as she reached the pinnacle.

  And then Blake bit down on her little bud, and the spike of pain shot her into oblivion. As she shook and gasped and cried out her pleasure, Blake didn’t waste time. Wrapping his hand around his shaft, he adjusted his angle and plunged deep into her waiting body. She cried out louder, her fingers twisting in his hair to the point of pain, and he stilled long enough to absorb the sensation of her pussy’s tight grip pulsing and relaxing, repeating over and over as she came on his cock.

  His heart was pounding so hard it took him a second to realize that it wasn’t his heart he was hearing but someone beating down his front door.

  “What the fuck,” he said, lifting his head and listening. The banging grew louder, heavier, more insistent, and Blake cursed as he peeled himself off the woman beneath him.

  “What’s going on?” Gabby asked as he pulled out and yanked back the covers, throwing them over her as if protecting her from unseeing eyes.

  His feet hit the floor at the same time something slammed into the door. Was someone trying to kick it in? Whoever the fuck it was, they were going to get their ass beat.

  Stepping into his briefs, Blake headed for the door. Gabby scooted to the edge of the bed, and Blake pointed at her. “Stay there. Whoever it is, I don’t want you in the middle of it.”

  Her eyes round with worry, Blake left her sitting there as the pounding intensified.

  Forget beating their ass. Whoever the fuck was out there had interrupted his sexy time, and they’d better hope they were dying because, if they weren’t, he was going to murder them.

  FOURTEEN

  “You’d better be dying, or I’ll kill you myself,” Gabby heard Blake bellow, his booming voice reverberating through the walls as he answered the front door.

  Rattled, she jumped off the bed and began searching for her clothes. There was no way she was going to sit there, butt naked, with some crazy person just down the hall. There was no telling what kind of people Blake knew or who was out for him. Bikers were synonymous with crime, right? At least that was the conclusion she’d reached from watching crime shows and personal past experience.

  The life of a biker could be a dangerous one, even for men like Blake who claimed to be free from those elements. Regardless of how far removed he considered himself from their past dealings, who could say for sure that his past was done with him?

  Fear shot through her like a bolt at the sound of raised voices. Peeking her head through the crack she made in the bedroom door, Gabby could easily pick out Blake’s voice, but she didn’t recognize the second party. The only thing she could discern from the angry tone was that it belonged to a woman, which eased her nerves somewhat.

  Blake could handle himself against a woman, surely.

  Going against his directive, Gabby stepped fully into the hallway, intent on confronting the intruder head-on. Meaning she intended to peek around the corner, remaining as inconspicuous as possible in order to put a face to the voice so she could ease her curiosity. What kind of person showed up in the middle of the night at someone’s door to raise hell?

  Movement ahead of her stopped Gabby from proceeding any farther. Slowly, Ash’s door creaked open and his little head appeared. He saw her first, and his pudgy face, already blistered red with the effort to hold back tears, crumpled. Throwing open the door, he ran toward her, and Gabby crouched down just in time for him to crash into her waiting arms.

  Clutching him to her, Gabby rose with Ash wrapped tight around her like a little monkey. His face tucked into the side of her neck, she could easily hear his whimpering cries, and her heart lurched, her protective instincts surfacing.

  Edging her way back into Blake’s bedroom, she toed the door shut softly and eased down on the mattress facing the door so no one could enter without her knowing.

  What was she going to do now? And with a little boy no less? She hadn’t thought that accepting a dinner invite would result in holing up in a man’s bedroom with his kid because of an intruder.

  “Shh,” she hushed, running a soothing hand up and down Ash’s curved back while she tried her hardest to hear what was going on at the front of the house. It wasn’t exactly quiet, but she couldn’t make out any words. It was all just a bunch of muffled voices that reminded her of an episode of Charlie Brown.

  The shouting grew louder and then dimmed in regular intervals, spiking Gabby’s curiosity all the more as she continued sitting there in the dark. “Who the hell is that?” she muttered, the words popping out unintentionally.

  “M-m-mommy,” Ash sniffled, and for a heart-stopping moment, Gabby thought he was calling her by the name. In the next instant, she frowned.

  “That’s your mom out there?”

  She felt his head move against her shoulder in what she thought was an affirmative. Well, if that was true, then she was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  But then Ash’s arms tightened around her shoulders and she reconsidered. What if she was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time? If she hadn’t agreed to come tonight, then poor Ash would be in his room right now or, God forbid, standing out there with a front row ticket to the crazy show.

  At least with her there, she was keeping him somewhat sheltered from what would no doubt be devastating effects of seeing his mom and dad fighting.

  She held him closer, glad to be sitting in that room with him. Now, more than ever, it felt as if she was destined to be his protector.

  An indeterminate time later, the walls vibrated with the force of the front door slamming
, followed by a car door and tires peeling against pavement. Blake’s angry strides pounded down the hallway, stopping first at Ash’s room then, upon realizing he was missing, doubled-timed toward Blake’s.

  Gabby’s heart clamored as the door was thrown open and Blake’s towering form appeared in the shadows. For one brief, terrifying second, he stood there, watching them, his expression obscured so that she had no hope of gauging his mood. But judging by whatever had just happened, it couldn’t be good.

  “Is he okay?” Blake’s gruff voice was like a beacon in the dark, and Gabby released a heavy breath as he stormed toward them and scooped his son from her arms.

  Instantly, she felt adrift, lost at sea after a storm. Clasping her hands in her lap, she watched Blake cuddle Ash to his chest, his chin propped on top of his head and his eyes firmly shut. His relief was palpable.

  “He was a little scared. I brought him in here with me so he wouldn’t have to see that. What was that anyway?” she asked, wanting answers.

  “Thank you. I didn’t know she was going to show up. Clearly,” he said with disdain. “I’ll fill you in later. Right now, this little guy should be in bed.”

  “I’m not tired,” Ash said around a lengthy yawn.

  “Well, you have school in the morning, and we all need to get some rest.” Turning, Blake headed for the door.

  From over his shoulder, Ash looked at Gabby through a pair of droopy, puppy-dog eyes, and asked, “Will you stay the night?”

  Gabby swallowed, unsure of the appropriate response. “I don’t know that I should, hon.” She was his teacher after all, and she was already dangerously over the line. Any more and she could only imagine what kind of fallout she’d be facing. How would the school board respond if they found out? She just didn’t know.